This type of incident is extremely rare, according to Paul
Hogan, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis/St. Paul International
Airport. And for good reason. There are at least three security
check points that ticketholders generally must get through before
being allowed onto the plane, Paul Roy of Las Vegas' Guardian Express
notes.

He writes: "The first checkpoint is the screening by the TSA,
including metal detectors. Then he would have had to get by the
Delta Airlines gate agents before boarding the plane. The last
level of security would be the flight crew themselves who should
have questioned why the boy had no boarding pass before the plane
took off."

“I’ve worked at the airport for 13 years, and we have more than
33 million people go through the terminal every year, and I’ve
never heard of anything like this happening before,”
Hogan told CBS local affiliate WCCO.

The Transportation Security Agency and Delta are currently
investigating the issue, although some question if the glaring
security breach is related to fewer staff due to the government
shutdown.

According to WCCO: "A spokesperson with the Transportation
Security Agency pointed out that staffing is currently low due to
the number of employees furloughed in the wake of the federal
government shutdown."